Keyboard guard for accordions



May 1, 1962 D. LoFARo KEYBOARD GUARD FOR AccoRDIoNs Filed Nov. l5, 1958 INVENTOR DOMENICK LOFARO ATTORNEY Unite Stats Patent 3,031,910 Patented May 1, 1962 3,031,910 KEYBOARD GUARD FR ACCORDIONS Domenick Lofaro, 298 Church St., Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Filed Nov. 13,' 1958, Ser. No. 773,620 1 Claim. (Cl. 84-453) This invention relates to accordions and more particularly to a keyboard guard for an accordion.

During the normal usage of accordions there are many occasions when damage may he done to the keys of the accordion, either due to carelessness or inadvertance of the musician. Fory example, many students and professionals carelessly put their hands behind the outer edge of the keyboard enclosure when pulling the accordion out of the case. lWhen doing this there is danger that their hands will slip and pull up a key in such manner as to cause serious damage to the operating mechanism of the accordion. Damage can also be done to the keys by having them touch lthe outer edge of the accordion case, or by having the shoulder straps come in Contact with the keys. Itis also possible that the keys may be damaged when the accordion is resting on the floor, due to the student getting too close to the instrument with his feet. Y

` Accordingly, itis an object of this invention to provide a guard for the keyboard of an accordion or other similar portable musical instrument having a piano-type keyboard.

It is another object of this invention to provide =a keyboard guard for accordion-s and the like which is adjustable to lit all accordions.

Still another object of the invention is -to provide a keyboard guard for accordions and the like which is easily positioned on the instrument and removed therefrom.

Still other objects of the invention -arc to provide a keyboard guard for accordions which is inexpensive to manufacture and sell and which can be applied to any existing accordion without modication of the accord-ion.

Further advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective View of an laccordion having mounted thereon the keyboard guard in accordance with the invention;

F-IG. 2 is a perspective View of the accordion keyboard guard with the two telescopically movable sections thereof detached from each other; while v FIG. 3 is a view in transverse cross section of the assembled accordion guard showing the manner of securing the telescopically movable sections in a fixed adjusted position with respect to each other.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 an accordion generally indicated at 10 including a treble side 12 having a piano-type keyboard 14 supported by i the conventional keyboard enclosure. Treble side 12 of the accordion is connected to base side 16 by a bellows 18.

ln order to protect keyboard 14, there isr provided in accordance withrthe invention a detachable sleeve-like keyboard guard generally indicated at 20 and including two telescopically movable guard sections generally indicated vat 22 and 24, with guard section 24 being slidably received within guard section 22.

Keyboard guard 20 is preferably made of a rigid heavyduty plastic material, preferably of about 1A; inch in thickness which is very light and only -adds a negligible amount to the weight of the accordion. `In the illustrated embodiment, the keyboard guard is shown made of a transparent plastic material, although preferably the plastic material is colored to harmonize with the color of the instrument on which it is used.

Each of the respective keyboard guard sections 22 and 24 is of generally channel-shape configuration. Thus, guard -section 22 includes a longitudinally extending side wall 26 and a pair of laterally extending top and bottom walls 28 and 30. A transverse end wall 32 connects the corresponding ends of walls 26, 28 and 30 at one end of keyboard guard section 22. Section 22 is open on its longitudinal side opposite longitudinal side wall 26 and is also open on its end opposite end wall 32. Guard section 24 is dimensioned for telescopic sliding movement Within the outer guard section 22 and includes a Ilongitudinally extending side wall 34, top and bottom walls 36 and 38, and a transverse end wall 40. Guard section 2X4 is open on its longitudinal side opposite longitudinal Wall 34 and is also open on its end opposite end wall 40.

In an actual embodiment which I have constructed, the two telescopically movable sections 22 and 24 open up to approximately 23 inches in overall length and can be reduced to an overall length of 13 inches. The guard is `approximately 4 inches wide from edge to edge of top walls 32 and 36, and the opening or spacing between the top and bottom Walls is approximately 2 inches.

In order to secure the -two keyboard guard sections `22 and 24 in a telescopically adjusted position corresponding to the length of the particular accordion keyboard being protected, a screw 46 is mounted in longitudinal side wall 34 of inner section 24 adjacent the open end of section 24. A longitudinal slot 48 is provided in the corresponding side wall 26 of guard section 22 -to receive screw 46 to permit telescopic sliding movement of sections 22 and 24 relative to each other. Nut 42 and washer 44 engage screw 46 to frictionally hold sections 22 and 24 xed in a desired adjusted position.

In using keyboard guard 20, the two sections 22 and 24 are te-lescopically engaged with each other as shown in FIGS. l and 3, with the two closed end walls 32 and 40 of the respective sections 22 and 24 being positioned at opposite extremes of the device and with the longitudinally extending open sides of the respective guard sections 22 and 24 facing in the same direction. The guard is positioned over the keyboard end of the accordion by pushing the longitudinally extending open side of the guard over the keyboard until lthe guard is as far over the keyboard as it can be pushed. The two guard sections 22 and 24 .are telescopically adjusted with respect to each other until the opposite transverse end walls 32 and 49 of the two guard sections engage the opposite end edges of the keyboard end of the accordion. The two telescopically movable sections 22 and 24 are secured in a given adjusted position relative to each other corresponding Vto the particular keyboard on which the guard is used by the engagement of the nut and washer 42 and 44 with a screw member 46. When sections 22 and 24 are in their proper relative positions, nut 42 is tightened to hold the two sections in their desired adjusted position. Once the guard has been properly adjusted for the particular accordion with which it is to be used, no further adjustmen-t is needed andthe guard may be easily positioned on or removed from the keyboard as required.

It can be seen from the foregoing that there is provided in accordance with this invention a guard Ifor the keyboards of accordions and the like which protects the keys of the accordion against damage which may otherwise easily occur when the accordion is being moved from or returned to its case, as well as lagainst damage to the keys which may arise in other ways.

The keyboard guard of the invention is adjustable to tit diterent sizes of accord-ions and may be easily positioned on or removed from any accordion with which it is used. Furthermore, the keyboard guard is pleasing in appearance and may be made of dilierent colors to harmonize with the color of any particular accordion with which it may be used.

While there has been shown and described a particular embodiment of` the invention, it will be obvious to those A keyboard guard member for use with portable musical instruments of the type having a piano-type keyboard at an end thereof, said guard member being formed of rigid material and comprising two telescopically-engaged guard sections adjustable in their combined length to the length of the keyboard end of the instrument, said guard sectionsV each being of substantially channel shape in transverse cross section and each including a pair of spaced parallel Wall members respectively adapted to lie above and below the keyboard end of the instrument in closely contiguous relation thereto and in overlying relation to the keyboard, each guard section including a longitudinal connecting Wall extending between and connecting the spaced parallel Wall members of the respective guard sections, the spaced parallel Wall members and longitudinal connecting Wall of each guard section being in telescopic sliding engagement vwith corresponding Walls of the other guard section, each guardsection including a transverse end Wall engageableV with one of the opposite end edges or" the keyboard end of the instrument, each guard section being open at the opposite transverse end thereof, the respective guardfsections being open on the face thereof opposite lthe longitudinal connecting Wall thereof to permit said guard member to be slipped over the keyboard end of the instrument in overlying relation to the keyboard when said guard sections are telescopically engaged with each other, one of said guard sections being provided with a longitudinal slot, the other of said guard sections being provided with fastening means having a portion thereof extending through said slot and having frictional engagementwith said one guard section to hold said guard sections in a given adjusted position.

References Cited in the tile of this patentY UNITED STATES PATENTS 505,223 Hyman I -..I Sept. 19, 1893 1,695,222 Arnold et al Dec. 1l, 1928 1,840,354 Geib Jan. 12, 1932 1,896,814 Gemeinhardt Feb. 7, 1933 1,941,458 Beus Jan. 2, 1934 2,101,403 MacDonald et al Dec. 7, 1937v 2,620,082 4Harmon Dec. 2, 1952 2,839,185v Isaacs June 17, 1958 

